News by Date

Air Ambulance Charity Tour of Britain

Submitted by Gemma Collins on Mon, 24/06/2013 - 11:44

Two keen motorcyclists are winding their way around the coastline of the country in aid of air ambulances across the UK.

On their 3,400 mile journey,Philip Summerfield and friend Jon Porter will visit 20 charities across 30 bases, 2 hospital helipads, and 3 Scottish NHS bases. They set off from East Midlands Airport on Saturday 22nd June, touring anti-clockwise around England, Scotland and Wales. They aim to return to East Midlands Airport on the afternoon of Friday 5th July, having completed their circuit of Great Britain in just over 14 days.

The tour will see them ride an average of 245 miles per day, using around 725 litres of fuel throughout their journey.

Phillip Summerfield said: "Being a keen motorcyclist for more than 22 years now and outdoor enthusiast, I was fully aware of the importance of the role a helicopter can play in the provision of emergency services.

"As motorcyclists tend to travel the length and breadth of the country, they are never really dependent on one service area and so we wanted to support the network of air ambulance helicopters across the UK.

"I managed to persuade my friend Jon, a motorcyclist of 9 years, to join me in this venture (not that it took much persuading!) and although it has taken some time to get to the point of committing to the organisation and completion of it, after a year of planning in spare time, the time has now come."

The duo have set up multiple fundraising pages on JustGiving, allowing people to support the pair whilst donating to their local air ambulance service, rather than a national pot. To support Jon and Philip and donate to Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, go to http://www.justgiving.com/A2CT-2013-CORNWALL-AAT

Philip added: "We are asking people to consider supporting our efforts to raise funds and awareness of the air ambulance services that provide vital emergency medical assistance for every person, in every part of the country. These charities are not supported in any way by the Government or National Lottery funding, relying entirely on charitable donations to stay in operation."